The present invention relates to a user interface for a computer-implemented video editing system.
As computers decrease in price and increase in processing power, software-based computer-implemented video editing systems are being purchased by more consumers. Such computer-implemented video editing systems manipulate video data in a digital format, such as the Motion Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) compression format MPEG-2.
A conventional user interface for controlling a video editing system permits a user to select a clip of the video segment being edited. The selected video clip may then be copied or cut and pasted into another video segment. A conventional user interface can include a timeline bar with a fixed length, and two markers or other indicia in the timeline bar to represent the beginning and end of the selected clip. In order to select the video clip from the source video, the user may need to play the source video, stop the video at the frame where the user wishes to start the clip, mark the starting frame, resume playing the video, stop the video again where the user wishes to end the clip, and mark the ending frame. Some users can find these conventional interfaces confusing, unintuitive, inefficient, time-consuming or difficult to master.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to a user interface for selection of a video clip in a video editing system. The user interface includes a first control element positionable to select a starting frame of a video clip from a video data source, a first video window operatively coupled to the first control element to display the starting frame of the video clip, a second control element positionable to select an ending frame of the video clip, and a second video window operatively coupled to the second control element to display the ending frame of the video clip simultaneously with the display of the starting frame in the first video window. The first video window updates dynamically as the first control element is moved, and the second video window updates dynamically as the second control element is moved.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. A third video window may display a frame corresponding to the play point in the video clip. An indicator bar may have a marker that represents the relative location in the video data source of the frame displayed in the third video window. The marker may move linearly along the indicator bar as the video clip is played. The indicator bar may include a highlighted section corresponding to a portion of the video data source located between the starting and ending frames of the video clip. The indicator bar may have a fixed size independent of the length of the video data source. A play button may cause the video clip to be played in the third video window. A frame advance button may adjust one of the starting and ending frames of the video clip by a single frame. The frame advance button may adjust one of the starting and ending frames based on a most recently selected control element from the first and second control elements. The frame advance button may adjust the play point if neither of the first and second control elements is selected. One of the first and second control elements may move as the one of the starting and ending frames is adjusted with the frame advance button.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a user interface for selection of a video clip in a video editing system. The user interface includes a first control element positionable to select a starting frame of a video clip from a video data source, a first video window operatively coupled to the first control element to display the starting frame of the video clip, a second control element positionable to select an ending frame of the video clip, a second video window operatively coupled to the second control element to display the ending frame of the video clip simultaneously with the display of the starting frame in the first video window, and a plurality of adjustment buttons to adjust one of the starting and ending frames of the video clip forward and backward by a single frame.
Implementations of the invention may include one or more of the following features. The plurality of frame adjustment buttons may adjust one of the starting and ending frames based on a most recently selected control element from the first and second control elements. A third video window may display a frame corresponding to the play point in the video clip. The frame advance button may adjust the play point if neither of the first and second control elements is selected.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method performed by a video editing system in selection of a video clip. In the method, a first control element, a first video window, a second control element and a second video window are displayed. The first video window is operatively coupled to the first control element to display a starting frame of a video clip from a video data source. The second video window is operatively coupled to the second control element to display an ending frame of the video clip simultaneously with the display of the starting frame in the first video window. User input is received to position the first control element and select the starting frame of the video clip, and the first video window is dynamically updated as the first control element is moved. User input is received to position the second control element to select the ending frame of the video clip, and the second video window is dynamically updated as the second control element is moved.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium to perform the methods or generate the user interfaces of the invention.
Advantages of the invention may include the following. The user interface in the video editing system can visually represent the starting and ending points of a video clip without timestamps. The user interface can correspond more closely to a user""s expectations of a video editing session, thereby making the interface more intuitive and decreasing the time needed to select a video clip. Video frames showing both the start and end points of the video clip can be displayed simultaneously with an active video area on a user display. Control elements marking the start and end points of the video clip can be manipulated easily. The video editing system can be implemented on a desktop computer or workstation.